THE ONE STRAW REVOLUTION

Joy and Daniel Davis, Beyond 50 Productions; Portland, USA
2010, 9 min 07 sec

The One Straw Revolution is narrated by the book’s editor and translator Larry Korn. In 1973, he was under the tutelage of Masanobu Fukuoka, who lived on Shikoku Island in Japan, where he received a hands-on education in the art of non-cultivation and natural farming. Before it was called permaculture, it went by the name of do-nothing-farming. Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka is universally acknowledged as a major influence.

Translated in many languages, Masanobu Fukuoka’s book The One Straw Revolution is a classic memoir and guide. He asked himself what he should not do to allow for the perfect balance and abundance of nature. This resulted in the philosophy of the Four Principles of Natural Farming: no tilling, no fertilizers, no weeding, no chemicals. Even though his methods require less labor, it results in higher yields for the farm or garden.